When it comes to adblocking, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around. It’s time to dispel some myths and share some interesting facts that may surprise you.

1. Adblock Users Are Not Anti-Advertising

For the most part, adblock users are not against advertising. However, they are against interruptive ads, spy/malware, privacy invasion and ads that slow down the sites they’re visiting¹. Only 6% of adblock users are totally opposed to all forms of online advertising.

2. Adblock Users Are Not Techies Who Haven’t Left Their Basement in 2 Years

a. Adblock users come from all walks of life and age groups. Recent research shows that Millennials have the highest percentage of adblock usage (as much as 66% use one )².

b. Adblock users tend to be more educated – according to recent reports, 45% of them have a bachelors degree or higher.

3. Publishers’ Google Analytics Data Is Affected

Adblockers not only block ads, but some also block Google Analytics, so many publishers’ Internet traffic statistics may be inaccurate.

4. Adblocking Is Not a Fad

Adblocking rates continue to grow globally and in the US, the rate is expected to surpass 30% in 2017³.

5. Top 5 Ways People Hear about Adblockers⁴:

a. Friend or family member is using one

b. Browsing the Web

c. Social Media

d. Web Store

e. News Article

6. Verticals with the Highest Percentage of Adblocking⁵:

a. Gaming

b. Tech

c. Comics

d. Entertainment

7. Users Can Block Ads Using Different Technologies, Including:

a. Browser extensions (most popular)

b. Mobile apps

c. Proxy-based blockers

d. Network-level blockers

8. Adblocking Is Illegal in China

As of September 2016, adblocking is illegal in China

9. Most Adblockers Do Not Block all Ads

Some adblockers selectively let through ads which they deem to be nonintrusive, though they generally charge publishers and their adtech partners a “whitelisting” fee for this. However, this whitelisting does not address user concerns around privacy, malware or slow page load times.